Back in 2010 the UK government approved some £285 million of the aid budget to be spent on building an airport on the remote island of St Helena (population 4,000). Now it has emerged that the airport has been mothballed, and delayed indefinitely due to windshear problems for planes using the runway, because of the position of the runway at the top of an almost 1,000 foot cliff. It is too dangerous for passenger planes to use. The island, a UK overseas territory, is about 1,200 miles west of Angola, with the sea trip (3 times per week) to Cape Town taking 5 days. It is one of the most remote populated places on earth. Keeping the territory going costs the UK money, and it had been hoped that the airport would mean enough inbound tourists could visit the island, bring in currency, boost the economy – and end up costing the UK less. The islanders were very excited about the prospect, and the logistics of building a large enough flat platform up on a cliff were complex. The amount of earth moving and concrete pouring etc, on this remote island, were technically challenging. There would always have been difficulties in running a full air service, due to the inevitably short runway. The island’s only connection with the mainland is the ageing Royal Mail ship St Helena which is soon to be retired. Questions are being asked about the wisdom of this use of UK aid money, to attempt to reduce the cost of the island to the UK.
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British government approved development on South Atlantic island in 2010 but spending watchdog says windshear and turbulence make it too unsafe

Construction of St Helena airport.

By Rajeev Syal (Guardian)

Thursday 9 June 2016

An airport built on a remote South Atlantic island by the British government – at the cost £285m of public money – cannot be used because planes landing there are blown off course, Whitehall’s spending watchdog has found.

The development on St Helena was approved in 2010 by the then development secretary Andrew Mitchell and was one of the biggest single government investments ever made in a UK overseas territory.

The cliff-top landing strip was due to be opened last month as part of a plan to end the island’s dependency on UK government subsidies.

A report by the National Audit Office has found that safety concerns relating to windshear and turbulence have led to the mothballing of the airport.

Windshear is a sudden powerful change in wind direction that can destabilise large aircraft and has been responsible for crashes around the world.

The NAO said the Department for International Development (DfID) had subsidised St Helena with £28m in 2015-16 and was expected to hand it a total of £667m by 2043, when subsidies are due to end.

However, the airport delay could add to those costs, the report released on Thursday concludes. Auditors are concerned that without an airport the island will not be able to attract enough tourists to make it self-sufficient.

Responding to the report, Diane Abbott, the shadow international development secretary, said: “It is extremely concerning that such a huge investment has been mismanaged by this government … ministers must urgently clarify the additional impact of the delay on St Helena.”

Tim Farron, leader of the Lib Dems, questioned why the government had failed to commission studies on windshear before the money was spent. “This is a serious misuse of the aid budget which is meant to be helping the poorest in the world, and will present an open goal to those who looking for cynical opportunities to criticise international aid,” he said.

Amyas Morse, head of the National Audit Office, said the financial stability of the island would depend on a number of factors including tourist numbers and how much they spend. “The airport’s planned opening date in May 2016 has been postponed as outstanding safety concerns are addressed, potentially adding to the project’s cost and delaying its benefits,” he said.

The island, which is home to around 4,000 people and is located 1,200 miles west of Angola, is known for being where Napoleon was exiled in 1815 after his defeat at Waterloo. He died there in 1821. It can only be reached by sea and has relied upon the ageing Royal Mail ship St Helena which is soon to be retired.

The NAO said the overall success of the scheme depended on attracting sufficient tourists to the island as well ensuring that they spent enough once they were there. While the island had enough hotel places for the numbers projected to visit during the first six years, the island government had admitted that it needed to improve the accommodation’s quality.

DfID and St Helena’s government are looking at the options for dealing with the problem caused by the wind conditions but have yet to agree on a solution.

The former Tory party treasurer Lord Ashcroft, who was a vocal supporter of the airport in 2010, wrote on the ConservativeHome website last week that he was forced to abandon a planned visit to the island because of “serious concerns that the airport is too dangerous to use”. The Tory-led coalition approved the scheme with £250m from the development fund – the largest single investment it has made in overseas territories.

A DfID spokesperson said that some planes had been able to land on the island, including an airplane which successfully evacuated a sick child to Cape Town on Saturday. “As the report points out, the UK supports its overseas territories in line with international law,” she said. “We are helping St Helena overcome the challenge of being one of the most remote island communities in the world so it can develop its tourism industry and become financially self-sufficient, making it less dependent on aid.”

The headline on this article was corrected on 9 June 2016 to make clear that the opening of the airport has been delayed, not scrapped.

St Helena airport delayed due to danger of high winds

Footage shows a test flight at the airport, which set off the aircraft’s windshear warning system. Short film clip http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-36490496 shows BA plane making unsteady landing

The opening of an airport on the British overseas territory of St Helena has been delayed indefinitely due to safety fears – amid warnings the cost to the UK government could increase.

The £285m airport is being paid for by the Department for International Development and was due to open in May.

However, the National Audit Office said the delay – due to high winds on the remote island – could add to the cost.

DFID said it was committed to helping St Helena become “self-sufficient”.

The development will provide access to St Helena for commercial airlines for the first time.

The remote island – which lies approximated 1,150 miles (1,850km) off the west coast of Africa in the South Atlantic Ocean – has previously only been accessible by ship, in a journey that takes five days from South Africa.

DFID agreed to pay £285.5m to “design, build and operate” the airport, in a bid to improve the island’s accessibility and boost its tourism industry.

The airport, on the remote South Atlantic island, welcomed its first large passenger jet aircraft land during testing in April

It hopes the development will allow the self-governing UK overseas territory to become self-sufficient and reduce its reliance on government subsidies.

In April, the St Helena government announced its opening had been postponed amid concerns wind conditions meant it was too dangerous for commercial airliners to land on the runway.

A revised date is yet to be determined. DFID and the St Helena government are currently looking at the options for dealing with the problem caused by the wind conditions but have yet to agree on a solution.

‘Limited’ precedents

As part of the plan, the Royal Mail Ship St Helena – which provides the only regular cargo and passenger link to the island – will not be replaced once it is taken out of service, which had been due take place next month.

Sir Amyas Morse, head of the NAO, said: “Estimating the likely costs and benefits of a project such as this is an inherently difficult task, particularly with a limited number of precedents for building an airport in a remote location.

“The airport’s planned opening date in May 2016 has been postponed as outstanding safety concerns are addressed, potentially adding to the project’s cost and delaying its benefits.”

A DFID spokesperson said: “As the report points out, the UK supports its overseas territories in line with international law.

“We are helping St Helena overcome the challenge of being one of the most remote island communities in the world so it can develop its tourism industry and become financially self-sufficient, making it less dependent on aid.”